


Say You’ll Stay with Me Tonight

by cerezsis



Series: Two Space Wives and a Baby [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Birth, Blood, Canonical Character Death, Episode Fix-It: s04e08 Silence in the Library, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fix-It, Forced Pregnancy, Hurt/Comfort, I guess you could say this is an AU where the entire fam left after Revolution of the Daleks, Isolation, Loneliness, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Post-Episode: Revolution of the Daleks, Post-Library River Song, Post-Season/Series 12, Pregnancy, Pregnant Doctor (Doctor Who), Time Tots | Babies (Doctor Who), Unplanned Pregnancy, the comfort part will be in the next chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29220996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cerezsis/pseuds/cerezsis
Summary: Scared, alone, and about to give birth, the Doctor just wants her wife.
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/River Song, The Doctor/River Song, Thirteenth Doctor & Original Character(s), Thirteenth Doctor & The Doctor's TARDIS, Thirteenth Doctor/River Song, Twelfth Doctor/River Song
Series: Two Space Wives and a Baby [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2174205
Comments: 16
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning, this gets fairly graphic. 
> 
> Title comes from the song Walk Me Home by P!nk

The doors to the TARDIS just about slammed into the walls as they opened, the Doctor falling to her knees as she finally entered the safety of her ship. As much as she wanted to stop and curl into a ball, she knew she wasn’t out of the woods yet. Plumes of black smoke were wafting into the TARDIS, and if she didn’t close the doors now, she’d be in the path of the ensuing explosion. Panting heavily as pain rippled through her body, she forced herself upright and turned in the opposite direction, catching a glimpse of the ball of fire right before slamming the doors shut with as much force as she opened them. The ship shook violently as the force of the explosion hit, but there was no damage beyond that.

The Doctor slumped against the closed doors. Oh, how she wished that were the end of this ordeal. A new wave of pain hitting her, she cried out and clutched her abdomen, its swollen state concealed by her closed coat. Breathing heavily and bracing against the wall for support, she forced herself onto her feet. Her legs wouldn’t move as fast as she would’ve liked – no, as fast as she _needed_ – but she had to get to the console. Even inside the TARDIS, this wasn’t a safe location to deliver.

The relief she felt as she supported herself against the console was drowned out by the nagging pressure between her legs. She’d needed to push for longer than she’d like to admit, but it wasn’t like she could just stop and give into her body’s demands in a facility that was about to explode.

Pulling a few levers, the TARDIS rumbled as she entered the vortex. Not a second later, the Doctor screamed and collapsed to the ground. This was bad, this was _very_ bad. There was no time to get to the medical bay, or even a bedroom. Fighting it was no longer an option, her body was forcing her to push.

Through pained and frantic breaths, the Doctor reached up to the console and searched for a specific knob. Having found it, she slammed her hand down, before falling back and crying out. In a race against her own body, she began removing her coat and undressing from the waist down as a recording started playing.

_“-yourself!”_ the familiar voice said. It was her own voice, or rather it _had_ been, back when she was a bloke in a bowtie.

_“Oh, you’re one to talk about self-control,”_ the other voice playfully argued. This one was the voice that Doctor wanted to hear. No, the voice she _needed_ to hear. God, what she’d give to have her with her right now. To have _anyone_ with her, really, but especially her.

Getting on her knees, the Doctor’s heavy breaths just about drowned out the sound of the recording. Grasping her coat with one hand, she positioned the other between her legs, ready to catch the baby. Feeling the twinges of another contraction starting, she bared down with as much strength as she could muster. Suddenly hit with the most intense, burning pain she’s ever felt, she screamed loud enough to make her own ears ring. It was crowning already.

_“-am I supposed to get your attention? You never answer your phone.”_

She tried so hard to focus on River’s voice, to imagine the feeling of being with her, but it was so hard to focus on anything other than the horrendous pain. Another contraction already starting, she pushed again, pained cries continuing to escape her lips. The head was fully out now, she could feel it in her hand. Through the overwhelming fog of pain and exhaustion, she managed to remember to check that the cord wasn’t around the baby’s neck.

_“-I know you’re wrong. You’ll_ always _drop everything when I’m about to get myself killed.”_

Oh. Even now, that bit stung. Had it not been for her labored breathing and whimpering, it would’ve been deathly quiet, both her past and present selves unable to speak.

Another contraction pulled her back to reality. Pushing again, she was back to barely hearing the audio. God, she wanted River. Not this old exchange she’d recorded by accident, but the real River. She wanted her here, now, to hold her hand and comfort her as she screamed. She wanted River. She just wanted River, but River Song was dead, lost to her forever.

_No_ , she told herself, _You can’t do this now! You’re almost done, just focus!_

Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus her thoughts, but if it wasn’t River she was thinking of, it was the overwhelming fear and pain. She tried thinking of anything else – Earth, custard creams, her fam – but nothing would block it out. Another pitiful cry escaped her. This was a mess, not even counting the blood that was running down her inner thighs. She needed something, _anything_ to get her through the next few pushes… 

Closing her eyes, the Doctor tried hard to imagine it was River’s hand she was grasping, that her wife was rubbing her back and telling her she was doing great. When she screamed, she imagined River telling her that it was ok, and that it won’t be long now.

It was a matter of minutes before both shoulders were out. Knowing she was going to need both hands now, the Doctor reluctantly let go of her coat. Continuing to support the head and neck with one hand, the Doctor gathered what was left of her strength and pushed, supporting the rest of the body with her other hand as it came out. She tried hard to hear River’s voice in her head. _“That’s it! Almost there, sweetie!”_

A piercing cry echoed off the walls. Still struggling for air, the Doctor opened her tightly closed eyes, needing to blink a few times before her vision unblurred. Seeing the tiny, screaming being in her hands, her hearts melted. All the pain she felt just moments ago faded from her mind like a dream slipping away, replaced with an overwhelming joy. Her body trembled ever so slightly, and she let out a sound that fell somewhere between an admiring gasp and a relieved laugh.

“Hello, you,” she grinned, her voice hoarse and shaky, but still gentle. She brought the baby to her chest, not caring that the blood would stain her shirt. Milder contractions reminded her that she wasn’t quite done yet, but her attention was still focused on her baby girl. She’d been a parent before, she knew the joy of holding one’s child for the first time, but this… this level of euphoria was something she’d never felt before. Yes, she’d been a parent, but she’d never been the one on this end; the one to carry the child – to feel it grow and move around for nine months – and give birth. It was new. It was different. It was brilliant.

“Look at you,” she breathed, tears she didn’t know she was crying trailing down her cheeks, “You’re so beautiful.”

\--

_“-yourself!”_

_“Oh, you’re one to talk about self-control.”_

The Doctor rested against one of the crystal pillars, one blanket covering her, and another wrapped around the baby. The TARDIS had been kind enough to have some supplies appear in a storage compartment, giving her the blankets and everything she needed to clamp and cut the umbilical cord, and subsequently discard the afterbirth. She was unbelievably grateful, as she definitely didn’t have enough energy to get all that herself, but she wished the TARDIS had also thought to turn off the recording. She lost count of how many times it’d looped, and with the baby now quiet and latched to her breast, it was all she could focus on.

_“River, I’m serious. One of these days, I’m not going to be able to just drop everything and come to your rescue after you’ve managed to get a whole army chasing after you!”_

_“Well, how else am I supposed to get your attention? You never answer your phone.”_

The Doctor of the past sighed _. “There are better ways to get my attention than almost getting yourself killed!”_

_“It’s efficient, at least. Besides, I know you’re wrong. You’ll_ always _drop everything when I’m about to get myself killed.”_

There was that pause again, the sting in the hearts. The pause that meant he was remembering her death at the Library, the memory that haunted her still.

_“Don’t do that,”_ the Doctor of the past finally said.

_“Don’t do what?”_

Another pause. After a few seconds, there was the faintest of noise; the sound of a parting kiss. The Doctor could still picture River’s face, not quite satisfied but accepting that that was as close to a response as she would get.

_“You know you pressed recor-”_

And it stopped. A couple of beeps, and it started again.

_“-yourself!”_

_“Oh, you’re one to talk about self-control.”_

The Doctor looked down at the baby in her arms. Sure, she could pretend that River was here, that she had her arm around her and was caring for the two of them. She could pretend that her daughter’s conception wasn’t the result of a horrific accident too, but the problem with pretending was that, sooner or later, reality would catch up to you.

_“Besides, I know you’re wrong. You’ll_ always _drop everything when I’m about to get myself killed.”_

God, she wanted to cry, but she was just too tired.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having sought refuge in an isolated corner of space, the Doctor is in for a surprise when a familiar face falls out of the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not in a sexual sense, per se, but there are some non-con elements discussed in this chapter. I don't really know how to put it, but tread cautiously if that's something that bothers you.

Tiny limbs flailed and soft coos left the little one’s lips as she stared up at the glowing crystal pillars. Laying on her stomach, the Doctor smiled as she held the much smaller hand in her own. She could spend hours like this, just staring at her daughter. These past few months of watching her grow and develop were incredible. The baby grew more alert by the day, staying awake longer and slowly learning new skills. She’d already mastered holding her head up, and the Doctor guessed it would be only a matter of weeks before she perfected the art of rolling over.

The baby girl turned her head towards her mother, giving her a big smile. The Doctor’s own smile grew in return. The tiny thing looked so much like her; blonde hair and a face that conveyed constant amazement and curiosity. The eyes, though, those blue eyes were courtesy of her predecessor. Time Lord genetics, what a wildcard.

As much as she treasured these moments, things were still far from perfect. The little one still only stayed awake for a maximum of four-hour increments, leaving the Doctor alone the rest of the time. She did her best to stay occupied, but she’d never been the best at being on her own. This planet didn’t even have any other intelligent life; only the company of animals and insects awaited outside the TARDIS doors. Its isolation was what made it perfect. Her daughter was safe here, far beyond the reach of her enemies. Still, isolation was isolation…

Without any warning, a sudden, blaring alarm came from the console. The loud noise being unpleasant to the infant’s ears, her smile vanished, and she started to wail.

“Really?” the Doctor said to her TARDIS as she sat up, picking the baby up from her blanket. Getting to her feet, she hurried over to the console to turn off the alarm.

The infant continued to wail as the Time Lady checked the monitor. Something had entered the atmosphere. Her first thought was a meteorite, but that was quickly thrown out as she read further. This was definitely not a naturally occurring object, rather some kind of a vessel. What’s more, there was at least one life sign registered inside.

The Doctor didn’t even have time to think of what this could mean before impact occurred. The TARDIS shook, and the sound that came with it made the baby cry harder. It was in that moment that the Doctor was suddenly aware of the growing dampness in her bra. She let out a frustrated sigh. Too much going on at once.

“Ok, we’re going for a walk,” she said to the screaming baby as she grabbed her coat, “You need to settle, and mummy needs to see if anyone needs help.”

After locating a papoose, she strapped the baby to her chest and exited the TARDIS. Dark clouds of smoke were clear in the distance. The ship couldn’t have been more than a few miles away. If she hurried, she could get there in twenty minutes.

Turns out, navigating through a jungle terrain was much easier when nothing was chasing you. She found the crash site easily, exactly where she expected it to be. The vessel was smaller than she expected, as well as the crater that surrounded it.

“Now that I think of it, maybe bringing the baby wasn’t the best idea,” she said to herself as she looked to the scorched, flaming ground, “Well, it’s not like I could’ve just left her alone in the-”

“Who the hell are you?” a hostile voice came from behind.

The Doctor froze, her breath caught in her throat. That voice… no. No, it couldn’t be. Unless… Her hearts pounding, she turned around, her mouth falling open as she saw her. Just feet away, the all too familiar woman stood her ground, pointing a large gun right at her.

_River!_ she wanted to cry out.

The archeologist’s eyes were immediately drawn to the infant. Though still maintaining an intimidating stance, she at least had the decency to lower her gun.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, “There’s no civilizations for star systems.”

The Doctor just stared at her. She tried to form words, but they all got stuck in her throat. Was this a joke? Was this someone’s idea of a sick joke?

_It’s a younger River,_ she reminded herself, _Not your River. She doesn’t know who you are. She_ can’t _know who you are._

“I… could ask you the same thing,” she finally managed to say.

“Who are you?” River asked again.

“I’m-” She was very close to saying her old alias, but for once she managed to catch herself. “Jane Smith. And you?”

“I’m not answering any questions until you tell me why you’re here. How do you just happen to be on the planet I crashed on?”

_You’re one to talk._ “How do _you_ happen to crash on the planet I’m hiding on?”

River rolled her eyes. “I’m a very good shot, I’ll have you know. I could take you out without hurting the baby. Did they send you after me? Did you follow me here?”

The Doctor had to stop herself from smirking. _River Song, what trouble did you get into this time?_

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but-” She gestured to the baby, who was chewing on the seam of the papoose. “-would I have brought my baby to chase after some scary lady with a gun?”

River sighed. “Fair enough.” She still held onto the gun but allowed her posture to relax. “I’m River Song. Why exactly are you here?”

“I, uh… I’m sort of hiding,” she said, knowing she wouldn’t be able to elaborate further.

River eyed her up and down, lingering a bit longer on the infant. “What’re you hiding from that you’ve come all the way to a deserted corner of space?”

“That… That’s a long story.” She tried to think of something to say that would at least satisfy her. “If I say too much, a lot of people could be in danger.”

River nodded. Finally, she put her gun down and stepped closer to the other woman. “Sounds like you and I have a lot in common.” She grinned, before again glancing down at the baby. “So, the little one. What’s her name?”

The Doctor too looked down at the baby, a small smile crossing her face. “Hope.”

River nodded. “Tell me Jane, how long have you been here?”

“A few months.”

“You have a way off this planet?”

“Uh…” _She can’t know the TARDIS is here. She can’t know who you are._ “There’s your ship.”

“That thing’s a lost cause, I’m afraid. Controls fried up before we even hit the ground.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could get it working.” She forced herself to smile. The last thing she wanted was for River to leave, but the longer they were together, the more they risked disrupting the timeline. “I’m good at fixing things. Usually. I’m sure I could get you on your way in-”

“It’s not even a ship,” River interrupted, “It’s an escape pod. Single use only.”

“Ah… Well… I could still probably-”

“Do you even have any tools?”

“Uh…” _Just my sonic. Probably shouldn’t let her see that either._ “Not on me.”

“Getting it now? Looks like we’ll be marooned together for a while.” She started walking towards the escape pod, passing by the flames as if they were simple shrubbery. “Is your camp nearby?”

“No!” She realized too late that that came out way more panicky than it should have. “I mean, no. It… it was destroyed. Right before you got here, actually. Local wildlife. _Dangerous_ wildlife. Probably still there. Should really avoid going there at all cost.”

Opening the hatch to the escape pod, River glanced up at her, the look in her eyes making the Doctor realize just how fast she was talking. “God, you’re as jumpy as my husband.”

The Doctor couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Having resided to the fact that her new associate was a nutter, River returned to the task at hand.

“It’ll be dark soon,” she said as she stepped inside, “Don’t think we’ll have to worry about the fires, the foliage here should contain enough moister for them to die out soon.” She rummaged for a while, before coming back out with two packs. “Make yourself useful and take this.”

Before the Doctor could react, River shoved one of the packs into her hands. Looking down at it, she realized it was supplies to set up a tent.

“You’re… just giving me this?”

“Yes,” she said as she started back to the escape pod.

“Why?”

“Would you rather sleep in the dirt?”

The Doctor’s hearts started to pound again. Her ears grew hot as she tried to think.

“Sunlight’s fading, dear,” River called over to her as she unloaded more supplies, “Should probably get started on that.” 

The Doctor stared back down at the bag. This was a bad idea, she knew that. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t just camp out with River. She needed to walk away, get back in the TARDIS, and find another place to hide. She couldn’t stay. She _really_ couldn’t…

Still, she found herself unpacking the bag.

“I’m assuming it’s just you two out here,” River said as she came back over to them.

“Yep, just us,” the Doctor confirmed, not looking up from what she was doing.

River’s eyes again fell to baby Hope, who was now starting to fall asleep. “So you’ve been alone out here for months? With a baby? Must be _some_ thing you’re hiding from.”

“You have no idea.”

“What is it, prophecy? Your home planet in danger? Hope’s father?”

The Doctor suddenly stopped, a weight tugging at her chest. “… In a way.”

“Which one?”

“… Hope’s father.”

River nodded. “He must be terrifying for you to have come all the way out here.”

Biting her lip, the Doctor struggled to look up at River. “Yeah… the thing this… I’m sort of Hope’s mother _and_ father.”

“Oh, I see. Hiding from yourself? You really do remind me of my husband.”

The Doctor snickered to herself. “Not even going to question how she was born from a single parent?”

“Oh, I’ve seen just about all there is to see. Met _many_ different species. Let me guess, yours naturally reproduces asexually?”

“Uh… no. Have you heard of progenation?”

“A bit, yeah.”

“Well, there’s the kind where a machine spits out a person, and another kind where an embryo is implanted into the mother’s womb. I say mother, really any gender with a womb. Anyway, I accidentally underwent that kind of progenation.”

River’s brow furrowed. “How do you accidentally undergo progenation?”

_Well, it’s happened to me twice,_ the Doctor almost said aloud. The thought was almost laughable, but any semblance of amusement was quickly stomped out. Memories began flooding back. That pinch on her neck, the ground rushing toward her, waking up with a mark on her hand. It was hours before she was informed what that mark meant…

“You alright, Jane?”

River’s voice brought her back to reality. She struggled for a moment with how to proceed. Tell the story, or smile and act like nothing was wrong? In the whole of time and space, there was no one she’d wanted to open up to more than the woman in front of her. Still, a stranger divulging something like this…

“There, um… there was an incident,” she said, struggling to look at the other woman, “I’d gone to the Safeguard Life Institute to… do some research, see if they had any information on… a rare species. Something… um… happened while I was there. See, they don’t just keep records, they work to repopulate species that are dying out. Long story as to why, but I was hit with a knockout agent, and… the system identified me as belonging to a dying species.”

River’s face fell. “Oh my god.” She waited for her to say more, but the other woman was silent. “Was no one monitoring the system?”

“Apparently not.”

“That’s… I’m sorry that happened.”

“Thank you.” The Doctor managed to glance up at her. “Silver lining: as much as I wish the circumstances had been different…” She looked down at the now asleep Hope, a small grin on her face. “… I do love her. I wish I hadn’t gone through what I did, but Hope… well, I named her that for a reason. Every time I look at her, she gives me hope for the future.”

River managed a grin as well. “You’re an optimist, I see.”

The Doctor shrugged. “Try to be.”

A passing breeze suddenly made them both aware of the world around them. The fires were nearly out, and the sun was getting lower. The Doctor got back to work setting up the tent, and River went back to unloading the escape pod.

“So, Hope,” River said as she continued to work, “I’m assuming she’s your first child?”

The Doctor paused, another weight hitting her in the chest. “No… I’ve had other children… but they were lost to me a long time ago.”

River grimaced. “I’m sorry… I don’t mean to-”

“I know. It’s fine, really.” What she said next was something she’d never know why she asked. Maybe she’d gotten too into character – pretending she didn’t know River – or maybe it was just so natural of a follow-up question. Whatever the reason, the Doctor didn’t realize what she was saying until the words were halfway out of her mouth. “What about you? Have you got any…?”

She froze. Dear god, why did she ask that? She knew the answer, she knew the answer well. Unable to even look at River at this point, her mind flashed back to a conversation they’d had on Darillium.

_“Why didn’t you ever tell me before?” the Doctor asked._

_River forced herself to crack a nervous smile. As good as if felt to get this off her chest, the anxiety was still there. “I thought if I told you, you’d feel pressured into doing it. Or worse, laugh at me…”_

_The Doctor’s brow furrowed. “Laugh at you?”_

_“Well, considering I’m… me, I thought you’d might think it was a joke.”_

_A pang of guilt started to come over the Doctor. It shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. If she didn’t even think that he truly loved her, then of course she’d think that’s how he’d react to something like this._

_“I’m not laughing, River.” He took her hand and held it in his. “I wish you’d told me. You didn’t have to wait so long.”_

_River looked to him for a good while, unsure if she understood correctly. “Doctor…”_

_He smiled at her. They still had twenty-two years left of the night. Twenty-two years to spend together. Twenty-two years to stay in one place._

_“River Song, I want to have a baby with you.”_

They never did, though. For one reason or another, it never happened for them. It killed the Doctor, being unable to give that to her. It _still_ killed her. Why she even brought it up-

“No,” River finally said. There was a sadness in her voice, a sadness she was trying to mask. Both the Doctor’s hearts broke at that. “No, it, uh… wasn’t in the cards for me, I suppose. My husband and I tried for a long time, but…” Forcing her emotions down, she grinned and got back to work. “Doesn’t matter.” 

Guilt eating at her, the Doctor quickly went back to her task as well. It wasn’t until she was halfway through threading the rods through the tent that it hit her. _“My husband and I tried for a long time.”_ How… They’d only tried for a baby on Darillium. If River had already done Darillium…

Several thoughts raced through the Doctor’s mind, more so than usual. Trying to act natural, she cleared her throat and looked over at River.

“So… your husband,” she began, “This husband you keep talking about… Where is he?”

River snickered. “God knows.”

“Should we be expecting him? I mean… won’t he be coming for you? You could probably use the escape pod to send a message to him. Have you done that already?” 

“It’s complicated. He doesn’t even know I’m alive.”

Her hearts nearly stopped at this point. Surely this wasn’t… “What… What do you mean? You seem pretty alive to me.”

“Long story, dear. Technically, I’ve been dead for some time.”

A cold sweat ran down her spine. She had to physically stop herself from shaking. “I… I don’t understand…”

“I told you, it’s a long-”

“Tell me!” There was a franticness in her voice that she was only vaguely aware of. Tossing the half-made tent to the ground, she hurried to River’s side. Judging by the look she was given, River was definitely reconsidering her decision to trust this woman.

It was then, looking at her so closely, that the Doctor noticed. River’s eyes… she was older than she’d ever seen her.

“River… River Song…” There was a distinct pleading in her voice. “… I’ve got all the time in the world. Tell me what happened.”

River was, naturally, hesitant. Something was clearly wrong with this woman… and yet… something in her trusted her.

“Well, you’re certainly persistent,” she said, her voice tinted with an air of humor that she hoped would ease the tension, “Like I said, I died. My husband, though… he’s an idiot who can’t let go. He uploaded my consciousness into a data cloud. I was in there for quite a while. You’ll forgive me if I don’t say more than that.”

The Doctor trembled and she fought hard to choke back a sob. This… This couldn’t be real. Surely, this was some kind of trick. She told herself this, yet she found herself reaching for her sonic. That spark of hope just wouldn’t die out. She frantically scanned River, earning her a look of _what the hell are you doing?_ The results were in right away, and she again had to stop herself from crying. This… this really was… Just this once, the universe had decided to be kind.

“You’re right,” the Doctor said, her voice trembling, “Your husband thinks you’re dead…” She met River’s eyes as she put her sonic away. “… but your _wife_ just found out you’re alive.”

Still looking into this her eyes, River tried to make sense of this strange woman. As the revelation hit her, her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened.

“Doctor…”

Unable to hold it together any longer, the Doctor’s eyes filled with tears. Before she could even process what was happening, River had her hands cupped around her face and pulled her in for a kiss. The feeling of her lips on hers, after all these years…

Eventually, they were forced to part for air. They were both crying now, and the Doctor’s hands had somehow found their way to River’s waste at some point.

“How…” the Doctor breathed, her voice still trembling, “How are you here? How did you…”

“Your enemies have gotten quite stupid, sweetie. Apparently, someone thought bringing me back to lure you into a trap was a good idea. Seems they missed the part in my dossier where it says I’m _very_ good at escaping.”

The Doctor let out a breathy laugh. Oh, that was so very her. Her hearts overflowing with happiness, this time it was her turn to initiate the kiss.

\--

The TARDIS hummed as River started the engine. Sitting on the steps, the Doctor gently rocked the old cot, watching as baby Hope’s chest slowly rose and fell. River looked over at them. A thought had been nagging at her since they left the crash site. She wasn’t sure if she truly wanted an answer, but…

“Doctor…” she quietly said, “What you said earlier… about how you conceived… please, tell me that wasn’t true.”

The Doctor froze. She slowly looked up, meeting her wife’s eyes. That was all that was needed, just that one look.

“Oh, sweetie…” She took her hands off the controls, and quickly walked over to her. The Doctor couldn’t tell if she was coming to hug her or going to kill the staff at the Safeguard Life Institute.

“It’s fine,” she said, her gaze falling back down to Hope.

“It’s very _not_ fine!” She sat down next to her. “They did things to your body-!”

“I _don’t_ want to talk about this now.”

Something about the tone of her voice made River concede. She sighed before taking hold of the other woman’s hand.

“How long have you been on your own? Really, how long?”

“Longer than I’d like,” she admitted, “A year, maybe. Probably longer. I had a fam – people I traveled with – but… I let them down. They left… Been on my own since.”

River gave her hand a gentle squeeze. The Doctor leaned into her, resting her head on her shoulder.

“I keep telling you not to travel alone…” River half-heartedly scolded.

The Doctor hmmed in response. River stroked her thumb along the back of her wife’s hand.

“Well, we’re getting away from here,” River declared, “We’ll find somewhere quiet, but with an actual population. Hope’s going to need friends as she grows up.”

The Doctor looked up at her. She smiled, but it was full of uncertainty. “You really want to raise a child that’s not yours?”

“Whatever’s yours is mine, sweetie. She’s my child now.”

Hearing her say it, the Doctor’s smile turned genuine. “We’ve never really gone the conventional route, have we?”

“No. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


End file.
